Union Gen. John G. Foster departs victoriously from Kinston

Gen. Foster and Union troops spent the night of Dec. 14, 1862, in Kinston. On the morning of Dec. 15, Foster paroled 400 Confederates he captured over the previous couple of days.

Dr. Lonnie Blizzard / Special to The Free Press

Gen. Foster and Union troops spent the night of Dec. 14, 1862, in Kinston. On the morning of Dec. 15, Foster paroled 400 Confederates he captured over the previous couple of days. He re-crossed the partially-burned Jones Bridge and successfully burned it to prevent a Confederate rear attack.

Kinston and Lenoir County had experienced war. Its economic and psychological impact, as well as the social effects, would be felt for many years to come.

Foster proceeded west along the River Road (current-day N.C. 55) toward Whitehall (now Seven Springs) and Goldsboro. His troops advanced to within 4 miles of Whitehall before stopping for the night. Meanwhile, Confederate troops under the command of Gen. Beverly H. Robertson, crossed the river and burned the bridge at Whitehall to help protect the troops and the gunboat being built on the north side.

On Dec. 16, Foster posted his infantry along the riverbank and several batteries of artillery on the hill overlooking Whitehall. His troops suffered rather heavy casualties due to their exposure and from their own artillery when the projectiles fell short of their intended targets. A large number of sawlogs along the riverbank helped protect the Confederates, as well as the gunboat. The partially-built gunboat received little damage.

On the morning of Dec. 17, the Union troops reached the railroad at Goldsboro. The bridge was guarded by Confederate troops under the command of Gen. Thomas L. Clingman. By this time, Gen. Evanís troops had reached Goldsboro along the north side of the river and arrived at the bridge to serve as reinforcements.

Foster was successful in having the bridge torched. Satisfied that the bridge would be completely burned, he ordered a countermarch to New Bern. He later reported to his superiors that his expedition was ďa perfect success.Ē

Some historians speculate that Fosterís intentions might have been to continue on to Wilmington. However, a number of realities worked against him.

For example, he met much more resistance than he anticipated; while in Kinston, he learned by telegraph that Gen. Burnside had lost the battle at Fredericksburg, Va., which no doubt affected his morale. His supply of ammunition was fast being depleted and Confederate forces were returning by rail after their success in Virginia.

He also knew that New Bern would be vulnerable to a Confederate attack, plus he could be cut off inland with limited escape options.

Foster and the Union troops returned to New Bern by Dec. 21, 1862. His inland expedition resulted in 90 Union soldiers killed, 478 wounded and over 400 captured.

On the Confederate side of the ledger in Kinston, 71 were killed, 268 wounded and more than 400 captured

Typically, many of the seriously wounded died within a few days after a battle.

No lasting results were accomplished by Fosterís expedition; Kinston was vacated without major damage, the gunboat at Whitehall survived and the railroad bridge at Goldsboro was repaired in about 10 days. Supplies continued to flow along the Wilmington-Weldon railroad to support the Confederate forces in Virginia.

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A look at history

Local historian Dr. Lonnie Blizzard has written a series of stories about the First Battle of Kinston, which took place Dec. 13-14, 1862; those stories appeared every day this week in The Free Press. If youíd like to purchase copies of those editions, please visit The Free Press office, 2103 N. Queen St.